The Coachella Valley Firebirds will try to move within one victory of the Calder Cup when they face the Hershey Bears in Game 4 of the finals Thursday evening at Acrisure Arena.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Firebirds captain Max McCormick, who had a hat trick on three shots in the Firebirds 6-2 victory in Game 3 Tuesday at Acrisure Arena that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.
“This is a series that is going to be a tough finish, and we haven’t done anything yet, so the focus is the first shift of our next game.”
McCormick scored twice in the opening 6 minutes, 3 seconds to give the Firebirds a 2-0 lead. Hershey scored the next two goals, to tie the score. The Firebirds responded with the final four goals, with McCormick completing the scoring with an empty-net goal with 1:36 to play.
Firebirds goaltender Chris Driedger made 22 saves, including stopping each of Hershey’s final 14 shots after Alex Limoges tied the score, 2-2, with a power-play goal 1:29 into the second period.
The Firebirds’ 42 shots were the most in their two seasons.
The Firebirds, the Seattle Kraken’s American Hockey League affiliate, are 7-0 at home in the 2024 playoffs. Hershey, the Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate, is 3-4 on the road.
Pat Monahan, frontman for the multi-Grammy winning pop band Train, and his 12-year-old son Rock will perform the national anthem. Abi Carter, the 2024 “American Idol” champion, will perform during the game.
A capacity crowd is anticipated. Fans will receive a Western Conference championship rally towel as they enter the arena. The team is asking fans to be in their seats by 6:45 p.m.
The 7 p.m. game will be televised by CW5 and the NHL Network.